Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad

The “cold and crunchy” summer food cravings continue for me. So, this week I reached into my vault (text files that I created 15 years ago when I first moved out on own) and pulled out a seven layer Chinese Chicken Salad recipe that my mom used to make. It’s one of those really easy but delicious recipes that shows up at potlucks and has probably been passed between thousands of moms and wives on handwritten recipes cards over the decades. I switched up the ingredients to meet my tastes and what was in my fridge, and added just a little more pizzaz to the dressing. Although it no longer has seven layers, This Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad is still super tasty, required no cooking (if using a rotisserie chicken), and gave me all the “cold and crunchy” that my little heart desired.

Lets also talk Napa cabbage for a minute before we start. I love this stuff. The leaves are thinner and more delicate than regular green cabbage, but still more sturdy than traditional salad greens. The flavor is light and fresh, with a more muted cabbage-y flavor. I have shied away from it in the past thinking that it would be expensive because the heads are usually pretty large. Large vegetables that are priced by the pound usually equals big bucks. BUT, to my delight, the cabbage’s thin leaves are packed less tightly than regular cabbage which meant it was not nearly as heavy as expected (read: affordable!). I’ll be using Napa cabbage more often. I highly suggest using Napa for this Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad because the texture is just perfect.

If you happen to have a random can of mandarine oranges in your pantry, they would be awesome in this salad. What, am I the only one who has cans of random stuff hiding in the back of the pantry?

Instructions

Prepare the dressing first by combining the oil, vinegar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic powder, sesame oil, and pepper in a jar or bowl. Shake the jar or whisk the ingredients in a bowl until combined. The dressing will separate a bit as it sits, but will be stirred again prior to adding to the salad.

Rinse the cabbage well and shake off as much excess moisture as possible. Slice the cabbage into thin strips and add it to a bowl (about 8 cups of shredded cabbage). Peel the carrots and then shred them using a large holed cheese grater. Slice the green onions. Add the carrots, green onions, and almonds to the bowl.

Before opening the package of ramen, crush the noodles using the heel of your hand. Open the package, discard the seasoning envelope, and add the crushed noodles to the bowl.

Pull the meat from half of a rotisserie chicken, then chop it into small pieces (or use two cups of pre-cooked chopped chicken). Add the chicken to the bowl. Give the dressing a brief stir, then pour it over the salad ingredients in the bowl. Stir until everything is evenly coated in dressing, then serve.

Notes

This recipe is priced per cup. It yields about 8 cups; 8 side dish servings of 1 cup each, or four larger 2 cup sized main dish servings.

Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad

Step by Step Photos

Begin with the dressing so the flavors have a little time to mingle while you chop up the rest of the ingredients. In a jar or bowl combine 1/4 cup Canola (or other light salad oil), 3 Tbsp rice vinegar, 1 Tbsp honey, 1 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, and some freshly cracked pepper. Whisk or shake the jar until the ingredients are combined.

I included a photo of the sesame oil for reference. Even though this bottle doesn’t say “toasted” you can tell that it’s toasted by the deep coffee color. Untoasted sesame oil is light in color, like vegetable oil, and does not have the rich, nutty flavor of toasted sesame oil. Toasted sesame oil is also usually sold in very small bottles (but you only need a touch to add BIG flavor).

Wash one head (about 2 lbs.) of Napa cabbage well. Shake off as much moisture as possible. Dressing doesn’t stick well to wet leaves, it just slides off. Cut the cabbage into very thin strips. I like to make a couple cuts lengthwise (leaving it attached at the base) before cutting crosswise into strips. The long cuts keep the thin strips to a shorter length. Place the sliced cabbage into a large bowl.

Peel two carrots then shred them using a large holed cheese grater. Slice four green onions. Add the carrots and green onions to the bowl with the cabbage.

Crush a package of ramen noodles with the heel of your hand, then open it and discard the seasoning packet. Add the crushed noodles and 1/4 cup sliced almonds (or chopped peanuts) to the bowl.

Pull the meat off of half a rotisserie chicken (I saved the other half for a different recipe). Chop the chicken into small pieces. Add the chopped chicken to the bowl.

Stir the dressing again and then add it to the salad.

Stir everything REALLY well until the dressing is evenly distributed. Then EAT. Mmmm.

57 comments on “Crunchy Chinese Chicken Salad”

If you saute the crushed ramen noodles in two T butter whith slivered almonds and use as a topping just before you add the dressing, I think it adds a lot to the salad. At least we love it this way at my house.

Made this salad for lunches this week and I love it. It’s delicious and a welcome change from my usual salad routine. I’m also always looking for ways to use rotisserie chicken, and this is perfect! Thank you. As others have said, if you have a particularly giant head of cabbage it might be worth doubling the dressing.

My husband love this and asks for it. (And he rarely does that!) It’s a great way to use the end of a roast chicken. Thanks Beth, your recipes have added a lot to our repertoire. I’m probably old enough to be your “Mum,” am a pretty fair cook, but after many years inspiration fails! You have helped me pick up the slack. :) This chicken salad recipe is so good (healthy too) and introduced me to to toasted sesame oil, which is now a must have thing in the kitchen.

Hi! I’m Beth

As a food lover and a number cruncher I've decided that cooking on a budget shouldn't mean canned beans and ramen noodles night after night. Join me for delicious recipes designed for small budgets. More »